An Open Letter to the Community [from Mayor Rick Bonnette]

It was almost a month ago that I issued a letter to the community to clarify the responsibilities of Halton Region Public Health and the release of local COVID-19 health statistics. A lot has happened in the past several weeks and give that the Province has begun to relax orders, I wanted to address our residents to encourage adherence to health and safety protocols. The weather is getting nicer, some park amenities are opening as have some retail operations. All of this means that we can expect more people to be outdoors, walking the streets, going to shops, visiting parks and hiking ourtrails. This does not mean however that we can relax our personal habits to keep ourselves and others safe. Four things to remember:

• The 2 metre physical distancing rule remains in effect

• Wear a mask when physical distancing is not possible

• Gatherings of more than 5 people prohibited (unless from the same household)

• Use/carry sanitizer and wash your hands often
  

News reports about other countries are reminders that we must remain vigilant in our efforts to stay the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We truly are, “all in this together” and the only way we will keep our numbers low and/or on the decline is through continued adherence to physical distancing and the prescribed health and safety protocols. Earlier this week, Premier Ford advised that Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams was recommending that people should wear a mask or face covering when physical distancing is not possible. This recommendation is one we should all take seriously and it should not be a surprise to see many more people wearing a mask/face covering this weekend. For Town-related COVID-19 updates, visit: haltonhills.ca/COVID . For public health-related information, visit: halton.ca/COVID.